Hey coach, after over two decades of coaching high school athletes in various sports and being a motivational speaker to over 2,000,000 students in my life. What if I told you I know the most important key to 

1. A winning season.

2. A winning student-athlete.

If you want to see your student-athletes reach their full potential. If you want to see your team maximize its potential. Then you need to commit to and pay attention to their self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief in one's ability to succeed in a particular situation, and it's something that can be developed and strengthened over time. As a coach, you play a crucial role in helping your student-athletes develop this belief in themselves. Here are some ways you can do it:

Build Confidence: 

Confidence is critical in sports, and building confidence is the first step in developing self-efficacy. Give your athletes positive feedback and praise their efforts, and identify strengths. This will help them not only feel good about themselves and their abilities but help them identify their unique contribution to the team's success.

Set Big Audacious Goals: 

Setting big goals is crucial for developing self-efficacy. Encourage your athletes to aim high and challenge themselves. Make the goal clear, concise, and extremely attractive. When they achieve their goals, they will feel a sense of accomplishment and will be more likely to believe in their abilities.

Create a Winning Mindset: 

A winning mindset is all about believing that you can succeed. Encourage your athletes to visualize success and focus on their strengths. Discover the voices on your staff or in your community that have the unique ability to connect to the hearts and minds of your athletes. Then create space for them to motivate your athletes toward a winning mindset. (I know as a head coach, you want this to be you, but you may not always be the most effective. As the manager of the team, staff, and culture, your ultimate responsibility is to get the right people on the bus IN THE RIGHT SEAT. Not to be the hero over achiever). This will help your student-athletes to develop the mental toughness they need to succeed in sports.

Provide Support: 

As a coach, it's your job to provide support to your athletes. Be there for them when they need encouragement or advice. This can be in the form of emotional support, such as offering encouragement or a listening ear, or practical support, such as helping them improve their skills. Show them that you believe in them and their abilities.

Let them fail: 

Failure is a natural part of the learning process. Don't shelter your athletes from it - instead, let them fail and encourage them to get back up and try again. Integrate celebration into your culture whenever an athlete "bounces back" from failure. This builds resilience and a belief in their ability to bounce back.

Celebrate Success: 

Celebrating success is a slam-dunk way to develop self-efficacy in your athletes. So when they achieve something great, make sure to celebrate it! Be creative and find ways to celebrate that are unique to your team. This will show them that their hard work is paying off and they can achieve even more.

As a coach, you have a unique opportunity to help your student-athletes develop self-efficacy. By providing positive feedback, setting achievable goals, encouraging problem-solving, providing support, and celebrating progress, you can help your student-athletes build the belief in themselves that they need to succeed. So, get out there and start building self-efficacy in your student-athletes today!